mateo

I can't believe the Pistons front office looked at this roster and really thought it'd be good enough to make a run.

Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals (🌟🌟🌟🌟) is stunning. Ford, who is more famous for his fashion than his films, should make more movies. It’s not just that the direction of this film really struck me (this is a visual work of art, in which Ford acknowledges how critical “the shot” is to Cinema), it’s also the story itself, which Ford adapted. Ford utilizes a number of classic literary devices- like a story within a story- to toss a multiple emotional haymakers. Mix in an A-List cast, and you have a near perfect movie.  We meet Amy Adams’ Susan Morrow as she manages a lucrative art gallery in Los Angeles. Draped in crisp, dark shots to open, Ford introduces us to this story through Susan. Upon arriving home one night from the gallery, Susan receives a manuscript for a book written by her ex husband Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal). Susan receives the manuscript in total shock because she hasn’t been in touch with Edward for years. But the moment Susan cracks open the scrip & engages with the story, she’s totally transfixed.  Within said manuscript is a story about a man named Tony (Tony is played by Jake as is Edward) who is driving late at night in West Texas with his daughter and wife, only to be harassed, attacked and driven off the road by a handful of Texas hooligans, lead by Ray (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). While dealing with said Texas hooligans, Tony meets Detective Andes (Michael Shannon) who takes matters into his own hands. The actual story written by Edward is goes from bad to worse- from dark to darker.  The ultimate power of the story within a story that Ford uses here is that everything that happens to Tony in the novel is a metaphor for all the pain & suffering Susan caused Edward during their marriage. It’s the exact reason why the manuscript has such a powerful hold over Susan- she starts to recognize or realize the symbolism Tony represents. In the actual script, Tony’s entire livelihood and family is taken from him, representing exactly what Susan took from Edward. All of which creates such a fascinating framework & a beautiful final act in which Edward gets his final “revenge” over Susan for all the hardship she caused him. The story- mixed with Ford’s sleek, stoic filmmaking- leads you off an emotional cliff.  Then there’s the acting. Every last actor I just named puts in an outstanding performance. Michael Shannon earned himself an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor here, but that could’ve honestly gone to ATJ. Not only that, this film finds Amy Adams in the middle of an all-time run throughout the ‘10s. The fact she also has this performance under her belt in 2016 just makes that run even more unfathomable.  I hope Tom Ford makes more films.

Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the 14th player in league history to win back-to-back MVPs, multiple sources tell ESPN.